Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Bankwatch Podcast

In December 2024, the Bern Convention set a new target for expanding the Emerald Network. The purpose of the network is to preserve endangered species and habitats throughout Europe by designating and managing protected areas called Emerald sites.  

However, widening the network in some areas has proved challenging. For example, important river stretches, especially in the Western Balkans, are still not protected.  

In this episode, Andrey Ralev and Friedrich Wulf discuss the challenges and opportunities for nature protection in different parts of Europe.

Our latest podcast episode explores the future of the just transition in the EU. Is the just transition a priority for the new European Commission? What’s next for the Just Transition Fund? These and more questions will be answered by our guests Miłosława Stępień, just transition coordinator at CEE Bankwatch Network, and Mags Bird, senior policy officer for the just transition at the WWF European Policy Office.  

Just as the EU is working to end its dependence on Russian fossil gas imports, and the climate crisis is wreaking havoc throughout the world, some European governments are just as keen to channel billions of euros to cement the dependence on fossil gas.

In this episode, Raluca Petcu (Bankwatch Romania) and Krzysztof Mrozek (Polish Green Network), discuss a recent report they co-authored, that revealed that the Romanian and Polish governments have together earmarked nearly EUR 4 billion from various EU funds for a raft of fossil gas projects that threaten to derail the energy transition in the two countries.

On 16-18 May 2023, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) held its Annual Meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This year, human rights violations, shrinking civic space and marginalisation of communities in Central Asia were particularly high on our agenda. In our new podcast episode dedicated to the EBRD Annual Meeting, we interview some of our civil society partners working in the region. Activists from Central Asia share their concerns about human rights and gender equality in Kyrgyzstan, the EBRD’s approach to human rights due diligence in Uzbekistan, the challenges faced by the LBGTIQ community in Central Asia, and more. 

The scramble for fossil gas supplies to replace imports from Russia, triggered by the war in Ukraine, has driven governments in the Baltics to prioritise plans for liquified fossil gas – commonly known as LNG. But this LNG infrastructure spree is reckless. 

In this episode, Liene Krauja of Green Liberty in Latvia and Johanna Kuld of the Estonian Green Movement discuss the implications of this rash approach and what the latest developments mean for the Baltic energy transition. 

They say the focus of the Lithuanian, Estonian, Latvian and Finnish governments should be on enhancing regional cooperation. The actual priority should be to accelerate the energy transition with a view to ending dependence on fossil gas altogether.

Listen to Katerina Rakovska, Bulgarian biodiversity campaigner, and Thomas Freisinger, EU policy officer at EuroNatur, talk with our host Michaela Kožmínová, Bankwatch communications officer. We discuss the main barriers and bottlenecks at the national level in central and eastern Europe that are preventing an increase in the quantity and quality of EU funds for biodiversity. Our experts also provide recommendations on how we can more effectively use EU funds for nature conservation and restoration.   

For more, see our report: Biodiversity on the brink: What's holding back financing for nature in the EU? - Bankwatch 

This publication was produced in collaboration with EuroNatur under the framework of joint research and advocacy work financed by EURENI. 

One year ago, Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To face the damages, Ukraine’s and international efforts to plan the reconstruction and rebuild the country, are underway. On 24 February 2023, we look back and evaluate the progress in Ukraine’s reconstruction planning throughout the past year. What worked well and what didn’t? And what will be the next steps?

Listen to our discussion with Anna Ackermann, Board member at Ukraine’s NGO Ecoaction and Policy analyst leading work on a green reconstruction of Ukraine at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and Valeriya Izhyk, EU policy officer within Ukraine Reconstruction team at Bankwatch.

Territorial Just Transition Plans should steer carbon-intensive regions towards climate neutrality while addressing social, economic and environmental issues and engaging  stakeholders. After two years of planning and drafting the plans, Member States should be ready to implement them. In this episode, we explore the just transition in Bulgaria and Hungary with the help of our guests Alexa Botar, climate and energy program director at Friends of the Earth Hungary, and Ventzeslava Kojouharova, just transition campaigner at Za Zemiata, Bulgaria.

This winter, hundreds of millions of people in Europe are struggling to stay warm without the usual stream of Russian gas, which makes our over-dependence on this fossil fuel more apparent than ever. In fact, about 70 per cent of the energy used for the EU’s heating still comes from fossil fuels. What needs to change to ensure sustainable heating for everyone? How can we prevent future energy crises? What are the plans for decarbonising heating and how far along are we in the process? We discuss these questions with Morgan Henley, EU heating sector decarbonisation campaigner at CEE Bankwatch Network.

REPowerEU, the European Commission’s response to the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis, has the potential to accelerate the roll-out of renewables and influence energy savings, but will the funds be used for more fossil fuels projects? In this episode we take a deep dive into REPowerEU with our guests, Olivier Vardakoulias, Finance and Subsidies Policy Coordinator at CAN Europe, and Christophe Jost, Senior EU Policy Officer at CEE Bankwatch Network.

The 2022 Lung Run is a trail running race designed to raise awareness in communities in the Western Balkans about the need to move away from polluting practices and industries.

In this episode of the Bankwatch podcast we discuss the original idea behind the run, how we chose the location and where does the local community stand regarding just transition process.

While the fight to liberate Ukraine is still ongoing, discussions about the reconstruction process have already begun. Several proposals developed by a variety of stakeholders already exist. How do they reflect green reconstruction principles and the Ukrainian people’s needs? Listen to the latest episode of the Bankwatch podcast to find out.

Gender-based violence and harassment on public transport is a serious but under-researched issue. In cities such as Tbilisi, Sarajevo and Belgrade, overcrowding and inefficient transport systems increase the vulnerability of women and gender minorities. 

In this podcast episode, we bring together experts and civil society members from our recent webinar to discuss the challenges and propose solutions for tackling gender-based violence on public transport. 

More than four years have passed since the deadline for the Western Balkan countries to comply with pollution limits. These limits are meant to reduce the deadly impacts of coal power plants on human health and the environment. For four years, Bankwatch has been tracking the emissions of harmful air pollutants from Western Balkan coal plants. Our annual Comply or Close report assesses whether these plants’ emissions are within the legal limits, or dangerously exceed them. What is the current situation, and has anything changed in the last year?

Listen to Bankwatch’s Southeast Europe energy advisor Pippa Gallop and Ioana Ciuta, energy coordinator for the Western Balkans, discuss these questions with our host Ana Kuzmanić, Bankwatch communications officer.

For more about coal-generated air pollution, see our fourth Comply or Close report.

Listen to Bankwatch’s EU Policy Officer for Biodiversity Daniel Thomson and Thomas Freisinger, the EU Policy Officer at EuroNatur, talk with our host Michaela Kožmínová, Bankwatch Communications officer. We discuss a missed opportunity for addressing the biodiversity crisis in recovery plans and why the EU’s ‘green recovery’ doesn’t support nature. Our experts also provide insights into projects that may harm nature. We conclude by discussing that the cost of inaction on biodiversity loss outweighs the investments needed.

For more, see our report: Behind the 'green recovery' - Bankwatch

This publication was produced in collaboration with EuroNatur in the frame of the joint research and advocacy work financed by MAVA Foundation.

In our new podcast episode dedicated to the EBRD annual meeting, Michaela Kožmínová, Communications officer at Bankwatch interviews campaigners and partners about their impressions, achievements and takeaways from the Bank’s flagship event. Learn more about our advocacy on the ground including human rights due diligence, gender equality in Uzbekistan, protection of unique biodiverse nature in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

The EU is making tens of billions of euros available for the transition of European coal regions, both from the dedicated Just Transition Fund and from other budgetary sources. Countries in central and eastern Europe are in the process of finalising spending plans, to show the Commission how they want to use the cash. How far along are they in the process, how inclusive were governments of the affected communities and – the key question – are authorities in the region planning to spend the money on the right things?

Miloslawa Stepnien, Bankwatch Just Transition coordinator, answers some of these questions and more, in the newest episode of the Bankwatch podcast.

This podcast episode coincides with the launch of our new Comply or Close report, a yearly look at coal-generated air pollution in the Western Balkans. From 2018 to 2020, around 19 000 people across Europe and beyond lost their lives because of air pollution emitted by Balkan coal power plants. Nearly 12 000 of these were caused by breaches of legal limits, so were completely preventable.

The Western Balkan governments are primarily responsible. But the EU is also supporting the status quo by importing dirty electricity from the Western Balkans. Listen to air pollution experts: Erika Uusivuori of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Denis Žiško of the Centre for Ecology and Energy from Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bankwatch’s Ioana Ciuta discussing the report’s findings with our host Claudia Ciobanu. 

See www.complyorclose.org to get the report and to find out more.

Listen to Bankwatch’s biodiversity experts Katerina Rakovska from Bulgaria and Rolands Ratfelders from Latvia talk with our host Claudia Ciobanu, Bankwatch Communications officer. We discuss the complex and alarming situation of biodiversity in Europe and how and why Member States need to support biodiversity. Our experts also provide insights into why the EU recovery funds are a major missed opportunity to increase funding for biodiversity. We conclude by discussing what more can be done to halt biodiversity loss and support nature protection.

For more, see our publication: Building back biodiversity: how EU Member States fail to spend the recovery fund for nature

This publication was produced in collaboration with EuroNatur in the frame of the joint research and advocacy work financed by MAVA Foundation.

Listen to Fidanka McGrath, Bankwatch’s EBRD policy officer and David Hoffman, Bankwatch’s Communications coordinator in a special episode on the occasion of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) 30th annual meeting (28.06-02.07.2021). We discuss the bank’s unique political mandate, its approach towards human rights and democracy and the ongoing operational expansion to sub Saharan Africa. On top of that, we ask whether EBRD’s new president Odile Renaud-Basso can take a strong stand in human rights and democracy.

If you wish to dive deeper, read our new publication: No time to celebrate: a breakthrough for human rights is needed after 30 years of the EBRD

Listen to Aleksandru Mustata (Bankwatch just transition coordinator) interviewed by Rosa Hergan (Bankwatch Balkan community support coordinator) sharing his insights about working with coal mining communities across central and south Europe.

Over the past decades, Bankwatch with its civil society partners have been monitoring the development projects financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Our experience has shown that the Bank’s existing approach to human rights due diligence does not effectively prevent human rights violations.  

As the Bank is revising its good governance policies, it has a unique opportunity to change this and lead the way in improving human rights due diligence among development banks. In this episode, Nina Lesikhina (CEE Bankwatch Network), Mark Fodor (Defenders in Development) and Megan Pearson (Accountability Counsel) share their insights about what is wrong with the EBRD policies and what needs to change. 

This episode explores the crucial role young people play in the just transition.

Listen to our guests, Luisa Marchionni, project manager at Startup Europe Regions Network, and Joanna Jakubowska, just transition policy officer at CEE Bankwatch Network, share their valuable insights on the EuTeens4Green initiative.

They discuss how young people can get involved in decision-making processes, especially when it comes to the just transition and cohesion policy. 

Last month, Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine entered its third year. Since February 2022, Bankwatch and our civil society partners in Ukraine have been closely monitoring the country’s remarkable resilience in facing the challenges of war while trying to meet its immediate reconstruction needs. 

How have reconstruction efforts advanced over the past two years? And is Ukraine’s recovery green and participatory enough? 

In our first episode of 2024, we shift the focus from our campaigns and projects to the bigger questions that will frame the work of Bankwatch, our civil society partners from Central Europe to Central Asia, and the field of international public finance in the coming year and beyond.  

It’s a big year ahead for our 5 main areas: energy transformation and EU funds, the fossil fuel phase-out, democratisation and human rights, biodiversity and finance, and cities for people.  

So what can we expect in 2024? Bankwatch’s strategic area leaders share their predictions! 

2023 was an eventful year for many of our campaigns. In this year-end episode, we review highlights and achievements in 4 different areas of our work at Bankwatch. Branka Španiček discusses the state of Europe’s rivers in the context of hydropower, Christophe Jost talks about the EU’s energy transition, in particular the REPowerEU plan, Joanna Jakubowska shares her views on the just transition, and Anna Roggenbuck dissects the European Investment Bank’s problematic approach to transparency and public participation.

Climate change has a major impact on urban life, and cities are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. International investors are spending billions to help cities tackle environmental problems and adapt to the climate crisis. But are these investments really transformative for the people who live there? Are these billions also making cities more liveable, just and accessible?  

In this episode, Fidanka Bacheva-McGrath and Saša Jovanovic (Bankwatch) discuss international public investments in cities from eastern Europe to Central Asia, focusing on recent transformations, challenges and opportunities in the urban transport and waste sectors. Bermet Borubaeva, a researcher and activist in Kyrgyzstan, shares her insights about the issues with Bishkek landfill. 

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is set to adopt a new mining strategy for 2024-2028. In a draft document, the Bank announced its intention to increase investments in the sector, as more critical raw materials are needed for the green transition. But given the mining industry’s appalling history of environmental pollution, human rights abuses and reprisals against activists, the EBRD must do much more to prevent harm and reduce demand. 

Read about the problematic mining cases that Bankwatch has monitored in the past: Amulsar gold mine, Adriatic metals, Oyu Tolgoi. 

In this anniversary episode, we celebrate 30 years of Bankwatch – a network founded in 1995 to push for public investments that truly benefit people and the environment in central and eastern Europe.  

Fidanka Bacheva-McGrath, Mark Martin and Petr Hlobil look back at the early days and what inspired them to become Bankwatchers, the challenges they’ve faced and the impact the network has had over the decades. They also explore today’s pressing issues, from shrinking civic space to the need for sustainable and inclusive solutions.  

Tune in to hear their reflections on Bankwatch’s journey to date, the lessons they’ve learned, and their hopes for the future. 

Miskolc, a city in northeastern Hungary, has already made huge strides towards decarbonisation. Now, with the help of the Friends of the Earth Hungary, the city is developing various community energy projects to build on this momentum. In the latest episode of our ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ podcast series, we speak with our just transition campaigner, Alexa Botar, about Miskolc’s community energy potential. 

Tsarkva, a neighbourhood in the just transition city of Pernik, Bulgaria, has a unique opportunity to realise the full potential of renewable energy for heating and cooling. In the latest episode of our ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ podcast series, we speak with our just transition campaigner, Ventzeslava Kojouharova, about the most viable solutions and how Pernik can lead Bulgaria’s decarbonisation journey.    

Ida-Virumaa, Estonia’s just transition region, is in a unique position to embrace community energy and become a pioneer in the field. But is the region realising its potential? Listen to our latest podcast episode of ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ series as we discuss the challenges of community energy development and how they can be overcome with Kertu Laherand, our just transition campaigner from the Estonian Green Movement.  

How can municipalities in just transition regions ramp up their decarbonisation efforts? With the help of Dan Dobre – our just transition campaigner and the author of a report comparing municipal decarbonisation strategies in nine central and eastern European just transition regions we discuss the challenges and opportunities for these communities. Listen to our first podcast episode in the ‘Decarbonisation roadmap’ series.

Three years after Russia's invasion, we examine Ukraine's reconstruction roadmap through its Single Project Pipeline, exploring how $486 billion in recovery funds will shape the nation's future.

Cohesion policy is at a crossroads. While the mid-term review of the next EU budget was meant to give clarity to long-term funding priorities, the European Commission’s April communication on a modernised cohesion policy marks a fundamental shift in direction. 

In our latest podcast episode, we explore whether the mid-term review of the EU budget lives up to its goals. We ask the following questions: 

Are the national energy and climate plans integrated well enough? Will the challenges outlined in the Commission’s 2024 country-specific recommendations be met? Should large companies benefit from cohesion funding? What roles do affordable housing, water, and even defence have to play? And, perhaps most crucially, what does the Commission’s communication mean for democracy and public participation? 

Join our guests Florian Marin and Bogdan-Alexandru Chelariu as they discuss these pressing issues and more, offering a vital social angle on the next EU budget. 

Partizánske may be a small town in Slovakia, but it has major potential to cut emissions. In collaboration with the town’s local authority and other stakeholders, CEPA–Friends of the Earth Slovakia have begun collecting data and laying the groundwork for a modernised district heating system. 

In the latest episode of our ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ podcast series, we speak to Lenka Ilčíková, our just transition campaigner, about how Partizánske could lead the way towards smarter energy use. 

Petroșani, a town in Romania’s Jiu Valley, located in one of the country’s six just transition regions, suffers from high energy poverty. Despite a lack of national data, recent research by Bankwatch – conducted in close collaboration with local stakeholders – shows that Petroșani could become a prime example of a place-based solution – one that aligns climate action with social justice. 

In the latest episode of our ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ podcast series, we speak with Laura Nazare, our energy transformation campaigner from Bankwatch Romania, about the unique challenges Petroșani faces in addressing energy poverty.  

What does the future hold for the just transition in the Western Balkans? How can the next EU budget support the process? And what are the opportunities and challenges for coal regions? 

In the latest episode of our ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ podcast series, we answer these questions with the help of our guest, Nevena Smilevska, Bankwatch’s just transition coordinator for the Western Balkans. 

Over the past seven years, the extraction of peat in Latvia has increased significantly. The two main uses of peat worldwide are in the production of soil substrates and energy, with Latvia’s exports accounting for around 95% of all the peat extracted within its borders. But despite the significant climate impacts of peat extraction, Latvia is persisting with the practice. 

In the latest episode of our ‘decarbonisation roadmap’ podcast series, we speak with Maksis Apinis, just transition campaigner from Green Liberty, about transforming the peatland sector and how this shift could help Latvia advance its climate goals. 

This podcast episode explores the EU’s Social Climate Fund and development of the national social climate plans in central and eastern Europe. Drawing on recent publications by Bankwatch, E3G, Rescoop.eu and Oeko-Institut, our guests discuss the design of the plans and the extent of civil society involvement. 

Join our guests Chris Vrettos, Kristina Zindulková and Zuzanna Sasiak for a discussion moderated by Maris Pedaja, in which they assess stakeholder participation, identify risks and good practices, and consider how early lessons can strengthen national spending plans and guide future EU budget negotiations. 

Disclaimer: The Council of the European Union has agreed a binding 90 per cent greenhouse-gas reduction target by 2040, but with significant flexibilities and a one-year postponement of the second EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS2) for buildings and road transport (2027–2028). This risks delaying the EU’s urgent decarbonisation needs and reducing resources available through the Social Climate Fund for the most vulnerable groups. Therefore, a timely start to the implementation of the ambitious national social climate plans is essential to protect those most at risk.  

In this podcast episode, we focus on one of the EU’s most pressing social challenges: ensuring that the green transition leaves no one behind. As the EU prepares to roll out the Social Climate Fund and introduce the new EU Emissions Trading System (ETS2), we explore what these changes mean for housing, energy poverty and the fight against homelessness.  

Bringing insights both from EU-wide and national perspectives, our guests Eva Schwab and Juraj Melichar discuss how EU Member States are shaping their national social climate plans, which solutions show real promise, and where critical gaps remain. 

Disclaimer: The Council of the European Union has agreed a binding target of a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, but with significant flexibilities and a one-year postponement of the second EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS2) for buildings and road transport (from 2027 to 2028). This risks delaying the EU’s urgent decarbonisation efforts and reducing resources available through the Social Climate Fund for the most vulnerable groups. A timely start to the implementation of the ambitious national social climate plans is therefore essential to protect those most at risk.   

In the latest episode, with our guest, Kostiantyn Krynytskyi, head of the energy department at Ecoaction, we discuss how just transition relates to Ukraine’s reconstruction, what the just transition progress is despite the war on Ukraine and how communities came together for transformative projects.  

In this episode of our podcast, with our guest, Zuzanna Sasiak, just transition policy officer at Bankwatch, we discuss the implementation of the Just Transition Fund in the six EU countries, the impact it had and its uncertain future.  

In the latest episode, with our guests, Mykola Kobets, researcher at Bankwatch and Anastasiia Nahorna, analyst at Transport and Environment, we discuss the Single Project Pipeline, its progress and impact on the Ukraine Reconstruction.  

In the latest episode, with our guest, Kertu Laherand, just transition campaigner in the Estonian Green Movement, we discuss the progress of the Just Transition Fund in Estonia, as well as transformative projects financed from the Fund.